Friday, April 15, 2016

Officials: FedEx stowaway awoke from worktime nap mid-flight

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - A stowaway taken into to custody by police at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport has been identified as a Memphis FedEx airport ground crew employee who fell asleep on the plane before it took off for Lubbock.It happened around 5:17 a.m. Friday. Police were called after a FedEx employee noticed the person on the plane.Lubbock Airport Director Kelly Campbell confirms the employee was loading FedEx Flight 1459 in Memphis, became tired at some point and fell asleep on the plane before takeoff. Campbell says the employee awoke during the flight and knocked on the cabin door, but the pilot did not open the door for safety reasons. Instead, the pilot notified the Lubbock airport and air traffic control that there was a stowaway on the plane.City officials say Airport police and operations staff responded to the plane when it landed, and Lubbock police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Transportation Security Administration were notified as well. The man who fell asleep will not face any criminal charges. The employee was released to local FedEx officials.His name has not been released at this time.There was no impact to aircraft operations at Lubbock’s airport.FedEx officials released a statement Friday morning:"We are aware of an incident involving FedEx Flight 1459 from Memphis to Lubbock. There was never any danger to our employees or cargo. We are fully cooperating with investigating authorities."Story and video: http://www.kmov.com